Mercedes driver tops Leclerc and Hamilton at Silverstone, while Audi’s Brazilian advances to Q2 despite early session troubles and starts 11th this Sunday
Kimi Antonelli clinched pole position for the British Grand Prix in Formula 1 this Saturday (4), at Silverstone. The Mercedes driver clocked 1 minute 28.111 seconds on his final attempt in Q3 and secured pole for the ninth round of the 2026 season. Charles Leclerc put Ferrari on the front row by finishing just 0.175 seconds behind the Italian, while Lewis Hamilton, also for Ferrari, finished third after leading a large part of the classification. George Russell completed the second row.
The session was marked by a balance between Mercedes and Ferrari across all phases. Hamilton led much of Q2 and also opened Q3 at the front, but Antonelli answered on the two decisive laps and sealed pole with a near-flawless lap. Leclerc improved on the final run to edge Hamilton and secure second place, while Russell failed to improve on his final lap and dropped to fourth.
Right behind, Isack Hadjar reaffirmed the excellent form he’s been enjoying at Silverstone. The Red Bull driver finished fifth, nearly two tenths clear of Max Verstappen, continuing the consistent performance shown since practice and also in the Sprint classification. Lando Norris starts sixth, followed by Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson, who completed the top 10.
Gabriel Bortoleto delivered a recovery performance. The Brazilian began Q1 grappling with an oil overheating issue, had to interrupt his first attempt and even faced a drama in Audi’s pit box as the mechanics worked to free the car in time. On the decisive lap, he advanced to Q2 with the 12th-best time and even requested a reduction in aerodynamic load after complaining about excessive wing.
In Q2, Bortoleto remained among the top ten for most of the session and even appeared temporarily classified for Q3. On the final attempt, he improved again but finished 11th, just 32 thousandths behind Liam Lawson, the last to reach the decisive phase. Nico Hülkenberg finished 13th, more than six tenths behind his teammate, underscoring the Brazilian’s solid performance throughout the session.
Q1 also had its tense moments. George Russell skated off at Turn 7, went through the gravel and tapped the barrier, raising questions about possible damage to the car. Shortly after, debris scattered between Chapel and Stowe forced the race control to delay the start of Q2. Antonelli also complained about the Mercedes brakes during the second phase, but he managed to overcome the issues to claim pole.
With the grid set, Antonelli starts from the front aiming to widen his lead in the championship. Hamilton will look to convert Ferrari’s pace into a victory in front of the British crowd, while Bortoleto starts 11th hoping for his first points at Silverstone.
Full coverage coming soon.
